


Serendipity

by Alexander_L



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Black Eagles Felix Hugo Fraldarius, F/M, Felileth Week, Felileth Week 2020, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Mercenary My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth Has Emotions, Oral Sex, Porn with a lot of Plot, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rimming, Romance, Soft Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:21:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25199182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexander_L/pseuds/Alexander_L
Summary: Years after the war, mercenaries Byleth and Felix run into each other one night at a tavern and by morning come to realize that they no long want to wander the world alone.For Felileth Week 2020
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 34
Kudos: 143





	1. Tavern Nights/Life After the War

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Felileth Week! 
> 
> The prompts for the week are **gifts, tavern nights, swimming, spicy, loyalty and life after the war** but instead of doing a chapter or oneshot for each prompt, I sort of threw them all together and wrote this one story. It's split up into chapters to make it more readable, but it's all one story that takes place over the course of a single night.
> 
> (Psst. If you're just here because you're horny, Chapter 3 is where the porn's at and you don't really need context)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There’s a reason your father always traveled with a group,” Linette said. “He and you could have taken on any group of outlaws alone. He didn’t need the help. He needed the company. People get weird when they’re alone for too long. Take him over there-” She nodded towards a man sitting in the far corner of the room nursing a large mug of ale. He had a hood up and the shadow cast by it hid his face, but Byleth could tell from his posture alone that he was purposefully emanating an aura of unfriendliness meant to keep everyone at bay. 
> 
> “He’s a strange one,” Linette continued. “Showed up three days ago with the living daylights beaten out of him. He’s been staying here to heal up from his wounds, but he hardly says a word to anyone. Just scowls and drinks. You keep traveling alone and you might end up like him. You’ve always been a bit… odd, sweetheart. I worry about you being alone and getting so quiet you forget how to talk.”

### Blue Sea Moon 1190

  
  


Stomping her boots on the doormat to free them of mud from the road, Byleth glanced up at the sign overhead, creaking on its old iron fastenings as it rocked back and forth in the stiff night breeze. In barely readable letters next to a painting of something that resembled a dog was the name _Hellhound’s Hideaway_. Byleth smiled fondly and stepped inside.

The second she opened the door, her senses were assaulted with the chaos of the old mercenary tavern. The smell of sweat, liquor and food mixed with the heat of too many bodies pressed into too small a room hit her like a slap in the face as she wove through the crowd towards the bar.

She tried to catch the eye of the bartender but he was facing away from her and when she called out his name, her voice was lost in the noise of clapping, boots clattering on the wooden dance floor, and a bard troupe playing and singing at the top of their lungs. They were dreadful; Dorothea would wither and die at the sound of their off-tune instruments and the way the lead singer’s voice cracked when he stubbornly kept trying to hit the high notes in the song. But it was a familiar kind of dreadful and Byleth listened to it without annoyance, feeling more at peace than she had in quite some time.

Suddenly, heavy paws collided with Byleth’s back, followed by a loud bark. She whirled around to find a huge sheepdog panting joyously, its tongue lolling out of its mouth and tail wagging so hard it almost knocked over one of the barstools.

“Oi! Daisy! Get the fuck-” the bartender yelled, then paused abruptly when he recognized who the dog was so excited to see. “BYLIE?” 

Before Byleth could so much as say hello, the bartender hollered over his shoulder, “Linette! Little Bylie’s here!”

As Linette came racing out of the kitchen to join her husband, Byleth smiled at them both and said, “Harland, Linette. It’s good to see you again!”

Behind her, Daisy barked again, nudging Byleth’s hand with her snout. Dropping down to one knee, Byleth hugged the sheepdog, burying her face in its absurdly fluffy neck. When she stood back up, there was a mug of her favorite ale waiting for her on the bar.

“What brings you to this corner of Fódlan, sweetheart? The bandits up in the mountains?” Linette asked, plunking a plate with bread and goat’s cheese in front of Byleth. “We haven’t seen you here in ages! But my, you haven’t aged a day. Still got those baby cheeks and big eyes. Aw, it’s so good to see you again.”

“Yep. Bandits,” Byleth said around a mouthful of bread. She reached down to hand a hunk to Daisy who snapped it out of her fingers gratefully.

“Don’t feed her!” Harland groused. “She’s getting fat. Soon she won’t be able to chase off the rats and then what will be the point of keeping her around?”

Linette scowled at him. “She is good for business. People love Daisy. There must always be a hound at the Hellhound!”

Harland scoffed and bustled away to take care of other customers. 

“Are you traveling with anyone?” Linette asked.

Byleth shook her head, taking a long drink of the ale.

Linette sighed. “You need to join a mercenary group, sweetie! It’s dangerous on the road alone.”

Byleth nodded at the silver sword strapped to her back and Linette clucked her tongue. “Even armed to the teeth, you still might catch frostbite up in those mountains and then who will carry you back to my tavern to thaw you out? Even in summer, there can still be snow up in the peaks and it’s cold as the devil’s heart up there.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Byleth replied. “How’re things for you?”

At the prompt, Linette began to pour out a tide of information, ranging from humorous stories about tavern guests to bemoaning the troubles with bandits or talking about how Harland has been trying to teach Daisy to hunt down the coyotes plaguing their chickens but failing miserably. Her chatter gave Byleth a chance to finish her meal and drink in peace and she just listened with a faint smile, nodding every so often to encourage Linette to keep talking.

Then after a brief pause in her monologue, Linette hit Byleth with a statement she had no idea how to reply to. 

“There’s a reason your father always traveled with a group,” Linette said. “He and you could have taken on any group of outlaws alone. He didn’t need the help. He needed the company. People get weird when they’re alone for too long. Take him over there-” She nodded towards a man sitting in the far corner of the room nursing a large mug of ale. He had a hood up and the shadow cast by it hid his face, but Byleth could tell from his posture alone that he was purposefully emanating an aura of unfriendliness meant to keep everyone at bay. 

“He’s a strange one,” Linette continued. “Showed up three days ago with the living daylights beaten out of him. He’s been staying here to heal up from his wounds, but he hardly says a word to anyone. Just scowls and drinks. You keep traveling alone and you might end up like him. You’ve always been a bit… odd, sweetheart. I worry about you being alone and getting so quiet you forget how to talk.”

Byleth wanted to point out that she was not nearly as quiet as she used to be; it was just that it was impossible to get a word in edgewise with Linette’s rambling. But she didn’t want to offend Jeralt’s old friend, so she just nodded and smiled.

Linette smiled back, her eyes warm and fond. “Forgive my lecturing. I’m just a worrier.” She grabbed Byleth’s empty plate then reached under the counter and produced a key, handing it to her. “Go lock up your things and that great hulking sword and come back and dance. It’ll help warm you up.”

Giving Daisy one last hug, Byleth took the key and jogged up the stairs to the inn rooms on the second floor. She followed the number on her key to her room and unlocked it. Setting her sword and pack on the bed, she shrugged out of her coat as well and brushed the dust of the road off her sleeveless shirt and leather pants. She kept a dagger strapped to her thigh and one hidden in her boot for good measure and stopped briefly by the mirror to check her reflection.

There was still the faint outline of a bruise across her cheek from a fight she’d gotten in last week and a bit of dirt smudged on her neck and jaw. Cleaning herself off, she ran her fingers through her short-cropped boyish hair to straighten out a few errant strands and decided that it was good enough. 

As she returned to the main room of the tavern, she walked over to the edge of the dance floor, watching the merry chaos of stomping feet and spinning couples, eager to join in. Her gaze wandered to the loner in the corner for a minute, but he didn’t seem to notice her staring. Maybe he was asleep. Something about him tugged at her mind, but she couldn’t place what.

“Byleth?” a familiar voice said and she turned to see Linette and Harland’s nephew Theo striding over to her with a grin. He held out his hand and said, “Want to dance?” 

She nodded and grabbed Theo’s hand, letting him pull her into the midst of the pandemonium. Laughing as he spun her in a circle then swept her back into his arms, she said, “Your footwork is slow! Are you slacking on your training?”

He glared at her playfully. “Slacking? Me? Fuck you, _Bylie_.”

She rolled her eyes at the childhood nickname and he laughed. 

“Maybe married life is making me fat and happy, but I reckon I can still kick your ass in a brawl,” Theo bragged.

“Once!” she said. “You beat me once when I was twelve!”

“Well, we haven’t sparred since.”

“Because you always have a convenient excuse not to,” she said.

“I’m starting to think you came here for a fight not a dance,” he said, his grin widening.

“I just wanted to stretch my legs after being on horseback for days. Fighting will do that the same as dancing,” she replied. “But I understand if you don’t want to…” 

Theo looked at her in mock disgust. “You’ve gotten mouthy these past few years. I miss weird quiet Bylie.”

“And I miss the Theo who always agreed to fight me,” she fired back.

“Saints, you’re a pain in the ass. Fine! You want a fight, let’s go. I stand by what I said. I can still kick your ass.”

“Are you sure?” she teased. “You don’t have to prove anything, you-”

He grabbed her arm and dragged her off the dance floor towards the door. His grip was surprisingly strong, considering that he didn’t look as in shape as he used to be, and Byleth hoped that meant he would give her a fair fight. She was itching to get her blood pumping. She had been on the road without any excitement for too long.

Before they reached the door, Byleth tried to struggle out of his grip, just to test his strength, but he caught on to the fact she was testing him and grabbed her other arm, all but carrying her out of the tavern and into the courtyard. The cool night breeze swept away the stifling heat of the tavern and Byleth took a deep breath, smiling wickedly.

“Yeah, I still got fight in me. Now shut up and raise your fists,” Theo said with a laugh.

Byleth cracked her neck, raising her fists and balancing her weight into a fighting stance. A couple onlookers noticed them fighting and reached for their weapons but Byleth waved them away.

“It’s all in good fun,” she said and they nodded and walked off to settle their horses in the stables.

With a roar, Theo lunged at her, his meaty fist crashing towards her with surprising dexterity. Byleth dodged it with ease and gave him a teasing knock in the jaw, hard enough to irk him but not enough to do any damage.

“Fuck you,” Theo spat with a smile.

Byleth swung at him again, but he reacted quicker this time, landing a solid hit that sent her sprawling back against the dirt. She had underestimated him apparently.

She was about to spring back to her feet when something flew out from the shadows and attacked Theo. In the course of an instant, he was on his knees and a glinting killer blade was pressed against his throat.

“Hey! We’re just-” Theo began in a panicked voice, raising his hands in surrender but the swordsman held the blade closer, biting slightly into the skin on his throat.

“Shut up,” the man snarled. 

Recognition hit Byleth like a lightning spell and she staggered to her feet. “Felix?”

He ignored her, growling at Theo, “Why were you attacking her? What do you want?”

“He’s an old friend of mine! We were just sparring!” Byleth explained.

Felix looked up at her sharply and the hood fell from his head, revealing his face. He stared at Byleth for a long moment and she gazed back with wide, startled eyes. She hadn’t seen him since the fall of Fhirdiad, after they had all gone their separate ways. The sight of him affected her more deeply than she expected and her heart wrenched with a painful ache in her chest.

Felix’s face flushed in embarrassment and he yanked his sword away, sheathing it and stepping away from Theo. “Oh. I’m… sorry. Well then. I’ll just-” He gave up on the sentence and turned and walked away swiftly.

“Wait, come back!” Byleth said. She stopped briefly to pat Theo’s shoulder and say, “Sorry!” before dashing off after Felix.

She caught up to him in the dusty field outside the stable and said, “Felix!”

He paused reluctantly and turned around to face her.

“Where are you going exactly?” she asked, gesturing at the dark field and the woods beyond it, lit only by the glow of moonlight.

“Somewhere away from here,” he said stiffly.

“Without a horse or your belongings? In the night?”

He looked at her angrily and said, “I didn’t want to cause trouble. I almost killed that man.”

“It was just a misunderstanding. He won’t care.” She held out her hand. “Come have a drink with me.”

Felix didn’t make any move to take her hand or follow her. He just stood there, staring at her numbly. He looked older. Of course he did; he _was_ older, Byleth realized stupidly, a bit staggered by meeting him again like this. He was rough around the edges like her, and there was a bit more muscle on his slim frame than there used to be. His hair had grown longer and wasn’t tied up in a neat, fashionable style anymore. It hung loose around his shoulders, making him look a little like a painting she had once seen of his brother Glenn. But he was alive, safe, here.

She breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’ve missed you. No one’s heard from you in so long.”

“Maybe that’s because you dropped off the map,” he replied sharply. “I stopped by to visit Sylvain a month ago and he said no one knew anything about where you were or what you were doing. So don’t lecture me. I’ve at least kept in touch with a couple of my friends. If you had bothered to do the same, maybe you would have heard from me too.”

“Felix…”

“Don’t call me that here. I don’t want anyone knowing who I am,” he said. “It gets in the way of getting contracts and bounties. People don’t want to talk to the disgraced heir of Fraldarius. But they’ll talk to some sellsword nobody.”

“What do I call you?” she asked.

“Hugo.”

She couldn’t help but snort and Felix gave her a look of annoyance. “I know. I’m not creative. Just…” He trailed off and stalked off back towards the tavern. “I’ll buy you a drink, but don’t tell anyone who I am.”

Byleth fell into step beside him and as they walked back into the Hellhound, she caught sight of Theo sitting at the bar, dabbing at the cut on his neck with a rag. Walking over to him, Byleth brought a glow of healing magic to her hand and sealed the cut back up.

Theo grunted. “Thanks. So you’re friends with Loner, huh? Figures.”

Felix regarded Theo with a frown that Byleth knew well. He was sizing him up to see if he could take him in a fight. He must have come to the decision that he easily could because he relaxed and ordered a mug of ale from Harland then shoved it into Theo’s hands.

“Sorry,” he said.

“I’m the one who you should be apologizing to,” Byleth said. 

“Why?”

“Because you seem to think I would have needed rescuing from him.”

Theo gave a half-hearted “Oi!” of protest at the implied insult but they ignored him.

“Fine,” Felix said. He ordered another ale and handed it to her. “My apologies.”

“So Bylie, how do you know Loner-”

“Hugo,” Felix interrupted.

“How do you know Hugo?” Theo asked.

Felix glanced at her nervously but Byleth just smiled and said, “I found him starving under a bridge a few years ago. I healed him up, bought him some food, and taught him how to use a sword so he could make a living as a mercenary and wouldn’t have to rely on begging for coins.”

She didn’t need to look at Felix to know he was silently plotting her murder.

“Well, I’ll let you two catch up,” Theo said, giving Felix a dubious look. “Have fun, Bylie. Let me know if you want to actually dance. I think I’ve had enough brawling for the night, though.”

As he wandered away, Felix hissed at Byleth, “Found me under a bridge? Are you kidding?”

“Would you rather I had told him the truth?”

“You could have made up a better story.”

“I did teach you everything you know, though,” she replied.

“Hmph. Not everything. I’ve learned a lot since the war, grown a lot stronger. I bet I could kick your ass in a fight now, _Bylie_ ,” he said with a snicker.

“That kind of attitude is what started this whole mess,” she said, refusing to take the bait. “Let’s just drink instead. Tell me about your adventures.”

Felix hesitated then nodded begrudgingly towards the stairs. “It’s too loud down here to talk. Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Felileth Week, y'all! Thanks for reading! If you have any great Felileth content to recommend or just want to chat, don't hesitate to hit me up on Twitter @lalexanderwrite


	2. Gifts/Swimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix struggles to keep up with this new brighter, more vibrant Byleth as the night goes on, until finally she explains where she has been the past four years and he begins to understand what has changed her.

Felix remembered the day they killed Rhea clearly still; it was an impossible day to forget. He remembered the fire, getting separated from the others and searching desperately through the burning rubble until Sylvain and Ferdinand came galloping over to bring him back to the others. He remembered facing down the beast that was Rhea and fighting for what felt an eternity just to have the opening Byleth and Edelgard needed to kill her.

But most of all he remembered seeing Byleth collapse suddenly and his body freezing up like all of the breath had been kicked from his lungs. He had run through a whole gamut of emotions he hadn’t felt since Glenn died as he watched Edelgard stagger over and drop to her knees beside Byleth, tears streaming down her face.

But then Byleth’s eyes opened, the rich blue color returned to her hair and eyes and for the first time a healthy blush glowed in her skin and a truly warm, genuine smile lit up her face.

_ “We did it,”  _ Byleth had said breathlessly as Edelgard wept beside her.  _ “It’s over.” _

Felix remembered like it was yesterday the emotion in Byleth’s eyes as she looked around at the faces of the battle-weary, blood-stained friends crowding around her; it was pride and a love so strong it paralyzed Felix to see. 

The next day he left Fhirdiad, sneaking away before dawn leaving only a letter for Sylvain and a small package at Byleth’s door with a note that just said,  _ ‘Thank you.’ _

In the fireplace in his room there was a heap of previous drafts burning up to ash that said things like  _ ‘Thank you for giving us hope.’ ‘Thank you for keeping my blade sharp.’ ‘Thank you for not giving up on me when I was an asshole and Sylvain when he was even more of an asshole. We left behind everything to fight for you because we believed in you. Thank you for believing in us.’ _

He had stared at each of those drafts for a full minute, hating every single word. And finally he had settled simply on  _ ‘Thank you’ _ because it felt like the less he wrote, the less chance there was that he would end up looking like a total fool. He wasn’t known for sentiment of any kind and neither was Byleth. He didn’t need to say the things he wanted to say to her. He doubted she even wanted him to. She had never needed praise or gratitude for everything she had done for them all. Besides, he was just one comrade out of many. The others would be sure to tell her. 

Felix had not expected to see her again, especially after he heard that she too had chosen a life of wandering. He wondered if, like him, she was overwhelmed by the new world she had brought about, stuck too much in the painful past to adapt to it. He wondered if, like him, she fell back on a life as a sellsword because she was exhausted and there was peace in solitude and comfort in having nothing to lose.

And sitting across from her now as she told him stories about her travels, more talkative than he had ever seen her before, Felix wondered if, like him, she was deeply and inexpressibly relieved to see an old friend despite the fact that she had sought out a lonely life.

“I still caught the robbers like he hired me to,” Byleth said, and Felix snapped out of his thoughts to listen to the story she was midway through. “But when I collected the bounty, I took it along with everything else I had to the owner of the building and bought the place from him. I fired that bastard tavern manager, replaced him with someone who wouldn’t harass his female customers, and then left.” She laughed then added, “So that’s the story of how I came to own a bar in a shithole town in west Faerghus. If you’re ever in the area, tell them you’re an old friend of mine and you can drink for free.” She noticed Felix staring at her curiously and cocked her head to the side. “What?”

“I have never heard you say that many consecutive sentences in my life,” he replied.

She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I don’t have many people to talk to these days.”

“You seem different too,” he added. “Really different.”

“I feel different. For instance, feel this!” She was sitting cross-legged on the bed a few feet away from him, but she abruptly scooted closer and grabbed his hand, placing it against her skin right above her left breast.

Felix felt sheer blinding panic seize him and was about to pull his hand away when she explained, “I have a heartbeat now! Can you feel it?”

Realizing her intentions were not what he had been terrified for a split-second they were, he relaxed and pressed his palm a little closer, holding his breath as he felt for the heartbeat. Sure enough, it was there – a bit erratic and jumpy, but there, real, human.

Two realizations hit him in quick succession. First, that Byleth was happy and free and there was, quite literally, a heart and a bright warmth of emotion and humor to the stone-cold mercenary he had always looked up to. He wasn’t sure what to think of it, for her emotionlessness and reserve was always what had made them so comfortable around one another. She had sought out his company often to spar because he didn’t demand conversation from her and she found it a relief. Was he boring her now? If anything, his years on the road had only made him quieter and more unable to express the emotions he felt.

But his thoughts were swiftly swept away by the second realization, which was that his thumb was brushing back and forth across the remarkably soft skin right above the neckline of her low-cut sleeveless shirt and he hadn’t yet moved his palm away.

He yanked his hand away like he had been touching a stove burner and was too flustered to manage to speak for a moment until he pulled his composure back together and asked her, “Is it strange to feel it after not having one for a lifetime?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m not sure I’ve gotten used to it. Especially sometimes when it pounds, I think I’m dying and something is wrong with it.”

“They do that,” Felix replied dryly. “It’s normal.”

She shrugged and got up from the bed. “Do you want another drink?”

Byleth had downed nearly five mugs of liquor during the two hours they had been talking and seemed wholly unaffected by it. But even though Felix had only drunk two, he knew he was at his tolerance limit and the last thing in the world he wanted was to let his inhibitions slip around her. He would surely say something he'd regret. 

“No,” he replied. 

“You are probably sick of talking,” she said. “Do you want to spar instead?”

Felix perked up. “Sure. I never had a chance to make sure my victory wasn’t a fluke. I’d like to settle that.”

Byleth wandered over to the window and peered up at the moon that was far past its zenith at this point.

“Fuck, it’s the middle of the night already,” she said. “We can’t make a ruckus right now. How about we fight at dawn? It’s only in a few hours.”

“Well, we had better get some sleep then,” he said, getting up and taking a step towards the door, even though he felt unreasonably reluctant to leave her presence.

“Go ahead, but I think I’m going to have another drink. The Hound has the best ale in all of Fódlan.”

“You’re going to fight me on no sleep?” he asked.

“Sure. Maybe it will even the playing field for you.”

“Hmph,” Felix scoffed and fired back, “Apparently that heart made you a smart-ass. Who knew that was a side-effect.”

“It’s had a lot of side-effects,” Byleth said playfully and Felix got the sense there were a lot of implications to those words he didn’t understand.

He brushed it aside and said, “I’m not letting you invalidate my victory. If you’re not going to sleep, neither am I.”

He sat back down stubbornly on the edge of the bed and for a minute an awkward silence hung over them as Felix struggled to think of anything to say and Byleth just sort of stared blankly out the window. It relieved Felix to see a bit of her old distractedness. Maybe she was still herself in some ways, despite her newfound liveliness.

He glanced around the room and noticed the familiar dagger sheath sitting on the bedside table. “You still have that thing?” he asked, pointing at it.

Byleth picked it up and drew the toothed blade, handing it to Felix. He examined the sleek black sand steel, pleased to see it was still in excellent shape and she had taken good care of it. He had had this knife since he was a boy, until he gave it to her the day he left it at her doorstep with the note.

“I use it often. It suits my style well,” she said. “Besides, it was a gift. I know it was important to you, so it’s important to me too.”

Felix shrugged. “It wasn’t a gift. I just thought you’d like it so I gave it to you.”

A smile twitched at the corner of Byleth’s lips for a moment then it broke free and she laughed. “That’s what a gift is, Felix.”

He gave her an annoyed look. “Whatever. I’m just glad you kept it in good repair. It’s the finest steel in Fódlan. It’ll serve you well.”

“It has. I took down a bear with it a month ago.”

“Why were you fighting a bear with a dagger?” he asked.

“Because I didn’t want to fight it with my fists.”

He snorted a laugh and handed the weapon back to her. 

“If you’re going to stay up, do you want to go outside? It’s stuffy in here,” she said.

He shrugged. “Better than sitting around listening to you yammer at me.”

Byleth strapped the dagger to her belt and walked to the door, beckoning for him to follow. They snuck quietly out of the tavern because its guests were now asleep. And when they slipped outside, Byleth set off towards the nearby woods.

“Where are we going?” Felix asked.

“For a swim,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What? Why?”

“Because I want to sober up. I need a clear head when we spar.”

“I’m glad you’re taking it at least a little seriously,” he grumbled.

They walked in silence through the woods until after a quarter of an hour or so they came to a slow, shallow river. Even though Felix could hear it from a ways away, he could not actually see it until they shoved their way through a dense thicket of trees and brush. Once they emerged on the rocky bank of the river, it seemed like a secret little world of its own.

“How do you know this place?” he asked.

“Jeralt would stop at this tavern often,” Byleth said. She reached for the buckle of her belt then stopped and glanced over at Felix. “If I was with other commoners or mercenaries, I’d swim naked. But you polite nobles always seemed to think nakedness was shameful and embarrassing. I don’t want to discomfort you, but also swimming in leather pants is miserable.”

For a second, Felix’s imagination was cursed with the irresistible mental image of dripping wet leather clinging to every single line of Byleth’s strong legs. He shook the discourteous thought off with a vicious reprimand to himself. 

“I’m not a noble anymore. I don’t give a fuck,” he said, yanking his shirt off and taking off his boots. He set to the side his weapons and clothes and he very determinedly kept his usual disinterested frown on his face, refusing to let his eyes linger on the sight of Byleth stripping off her clothes.

Thank the goddess it was dark enough that he only saw her body for a second before she dived into the river and was submerged in the dark water. She did not resurface for a while and Felix began to worry, hastily throwing aside the rest of his clothes save for his underwear and jumping into the water. Before he could panic, Byleth broke through the surface of the glittering water and laughed.

“That’s better,” she said, shivering. “Damn it’s cold! Feels good.”

Felix ducked his head beneath the water to clear the haze of liquor from his senses and avoid looking at Byleth for a minute. He held his breath and swam as far as he could underwater then resurfaced and let the current drift him back to where she was swimming around and turning somersaults.

“Thanks for humoring me,” Byleth said to which Felix merely grunted in acknowledgment.

She set off swimming up the current and Felix followed her. Not for the first time this night, he asked himself why he was doing this. In the past few hours he had spoken more than he had in months even though he had spent most of the time listening. The whole thing felt rather like a dream, it was so out of the ordinary for him. Because of that, he felt tugged along the path of events with the same surreal curiosity of a dreamer.

He could make sense of it all later while he spent hours on the road alone. He would have plenty of time then to figure out if this whole thing had been a hallucination or not. For now, he decided to simply see where the night would take him. The unpredictability and adventure of life as a mercenary had eased some of the rigidity from his nature over the years and he was glad of his ability to weather spontaneity now. A younger Felix would have balked at every step of this night.

A ways up the river they came to a large flat boulder jutting up from the water and Byleth hopped up onto it, sitting on the edge to catch her breath as she kicked her legs idly in the water. To Felix’s intense relief, she was wearing underwear at least and she kept one arm tucked across her breasts, shielding them at least in part, although they were too full to cover entirely. It was not that her nakedness struck him as wrong somehow; he knew commoners were not taught to be ashamed of such things like he had been raised to be. It was just that she was so damn  _ distracting _ .

Felix pulled himself up onto the boulder and sat down beside her, careful to keep at least a couple inches of space between them. Even so, he could somehow feel her presence beside him in such a physical way, the skin nearest her burning and aching with sensation as if they were touching.

His discomfort got the best of him and he found an irrational anger rising up defensively. “I had my reasons for leaving,” he said sharply. “You have yet to offer any explanations for yourself. No one needs me; in fact, the world is better off without me trying to be a politician or commander. But you- People needed you. How could you just drop off the face of the earth for four years?”

Byleth looked over at him in surprise, too stunned by his sudden outburst to reply for several moments. Then she said in a quiet, strained voice, “I did so to keep you safe.”

“Safe? From what?”

She hesitated again, looking around them carefully as if to make sure no one was listening. Then she said, “Those Who Slither in the Dark.”

“Those Who What?” he asked in confusion.

“They’re the ones who destroyed Arianrhod. They supplied the dark mages that fought alongside us. They’re the ones who… It’s a long story. The short of it is that Edelgard, Hubert, Ferdinand and I vowed to hunt them down after the war, but they were an extremely dangerous enemy to fight. We decided not to draw those of you who already sacrificed so much into it. You deserved better. I spent three years fighting that war in the shadows. Once it was won, I… I needed to…”

Felix regretted his accusation deeply as he saw the pain etched so deeply in her expression. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have assumed-”

“It’s okay,” she said simply.

“I want to know the story.”

“I will tell you, but not right now. Please, let me just enjoy this moment. It’s so good to be with an old friend and not feel so alone.” She glanced over at him and her smile returned. “It’s made me really happy to spend time with you. Thank you for not pushing me away even though you’re angry with me.”

“Hm. Don’t thank me. It’s… Spending time with you isn’t so bad either,” he replied.

Byleth jumped off the rock abruptly and tugged at Felix’s ankle. “Let’s swim back.”

He dived in after her and as they returned to the bank where they left their clothes, Byleth climbed out and lay down on the grass to dry off, shivering in the breeze. As Felix followed her and tugged on a shirt, she gathered up a few branches and started a small campfire on the sand with a fire spell.

They huddled around it together and Byleth pulled on her sleeveless shirt, but not the leather pants. The moonlight glowed beautifully on her wet skin and Felix combed his fingers through his dripping, tangled hair self-consciously. He had gotten rather scruffy lately, hadn’t he? Fuck. Well, it was not like it mattered.

“I know I’m different,” Byleth said, staring into the campfire with a sober look on her face. “I’ll explain that to you at least so you can stop staring at me like I’m some strange new person.”

“You’re not strange,” he muttered. “You’re just… weird.”

“I’ve always been weird.”

“Yeah, you have. Really fucking weird.” He realized the words sounded unkind so he amended them with an awkward, “But good weird.”

She smiled before falling serious again. “When I lost my crest and got my heart back, I started to feel things stronger than I did before. I didn’t realize how strongly someone  _ could _ feel things. It made me understand everyone’s grief and love and pain more. It made me wonder how you all soldiered on so bravely through the war.” She paused for a long moment and Felix wasn’t sure if she was even going to continue. Then she said, “I hated it.”

“I bet it’s nice to not feel things,” Felix replied, glazing out over the water to avoid eye contact.

“It was back then. During the shadow war with Those Who Slither in the Dark it was horrible. What we saw in the war against the church was bad, but it was nothing compared to what I saw during the shadow war. I don’t know how Hubert or Edelgard kept their sanity, or especially how Ferdinand did. I wish I had been heartless. It would have been so much easier.” She paused again then explained, “I left when that war ended because I didn’t want to keep hating this new version of myself. I’ve spent the past year trying to find things that make this heart worth it. That’s why I’m trying to chase experiences that make me happy. I needed…”

“To be free,” Felix supplied when she trailed off.

“Yes. Is that why you left?”

“I left because there wasn’t anything else I was good for. A soldier without a war’s only option is to be a mercenary or a knight and I’ll be damned before I serve as a knight.”

Byleth settled down on her back, staring up at the stars. Felix lay down next to her on his side, studying her expression.

“I’m sorry if this new version of me is off-putting to you. You and I always got along because we were so similar. You probably don’t think that anymore, do you?”

“We got along because we both preferred swords to conversation,” Felix said. “Spar with me in the morning and I’ll forgive you for all your chatter.”

She smiled slightly. “Thanks. I’ll stop chattering at you now, though. I’m sorry if I’ve been overbearing.”

“Stop it,” Felix said sharply.

“Stop what?”

“Apologizing. You never used to apologize for your weirdness. I don’t give a shit if you talk a lot now as long as you don’t expect me to be the same.”

“The only thing I expect from you is to give me a good challenge in the morning.”

“Oh I will.”

Byleth turned onto her side to meet his eyes and Felix stiffened at the way she was looking at him. 

“What?” he said defensively.

“You’ve changed too, you know,” she said.

“Yeah, I grew out my hair more.”

Byleth reached out and touched the long strands hanging into his face. She brushed them out of his eyes and tucked them behind his ear.

The simple touch stunned him. Normally he would tell someone to back off if they made a gesture like that. But instead Felix found himself hoping she would do it again. It felt different with her. Affection always seemed so patronizing from other people. He didn’t realize how good it felt when it was genuine.

She moved her hand away but on an impulse, Felix caught it in his and held onto it, not wanting the distance to return between them. Byleth’s eyes widened a bit but she didn’t say anything.

“Does it-” he began then second-guessed himself.

Byleth stared at him expectantly until he continued, saying, “So does it work? This attitude of yours? Do you feel happy?”

“Sometimes,” she said. “Not often, but sometimes. I’m happy right now and I wouldn’t be if I hadn’t dragged you here with me.”

“You didn’t drag me.”

“You didn’t seem particularly thrilled about the whole thing.”

“Have you ever seen me thrilled in my life?”

“Yes. When you fight.”

“Then fight with me,” he said.

“Right here?”

“Sure.”

A bit of a wicked smile tugged at Byleth’s lips and her whole body tensed. Then with startling alacrity, she attacked out of the blue, swinging her free hand at him, fingers clenched into a fist.

Felix only narrowly managed to block the strike with his hand, a yelp of surprise escaping him. “What the-?” he began, trying to scramble up to his feet.

Byleth was on him in a flash, moving with the same lightning-quick reaction time that had always made her a terrifying opponent. Grabbing his wrists, she wrestled him down and pinned him against the ground, looking down at him with a smirk.

“Should we say the best two out of three matches?” she asked. “Or are you just going to admit defeat here and now?”

But Felix was too stunned to reply. He couldn’t tear his mind away from the fact that her steel-strong thighs were straddling him tightly and her face was only a few inches above his, her beautiful eyes staring down at him mockingly. 

“Fuck you,” he finally managed to growl. “That wasn’t a fair fight.”

“Hasn’t four years of being a mercenary not a noble taught you the benefits of not fighting fairly?” she asked.

Felix opened his mouth to fire back an acerbic reply but no words came to him. It seemed to strike Byleth then that she was still on top of him and she started to get off, but Felix’s body was at this point far more in control than his common sense and he grabbed her hips, holding her in place.

The moment of surprise was all he needed to get the upper hand and he pushed himself up off the ground and rolled over, pinning Byleth down into the sand beneath him. His body was all but crushing her as he held her down and he could feel her chest rising and falling with racing breaths and her hips shifting as she squirmed beneath him. But he didn’t let go.

“Then I won’t fight fair,” he whispered, “if that’s what you want.”

“What do you want?” she asked breathlessly.

Felix wanted to fire the question right back at her but as he looked at her he could see the answer in the way that her lips parted in anticipation and her eyes stared into his with a bright, searching curiosity.

“Felix,” she murmured when he didn’t reply. “What do you want?”

He couldn’t think of how to express his answer so he settled for what usually worked far better for him than words: action.

Closing the distance between them, he caught her open panting mouth with his and kissed her fiercely. His head swam with the dizzying, unexpected thrill of it for a minute until awareness returned to his mind and he yanked away, looking at her anxiously, wondering if he misread her manner entirely.

Before he could panic, she pried her wrists out of his grip and reached up to tangle her hands in his hair. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled his head down and kissed him again, deeply, hungrily, her tongue slipping into his mouth to tease his in a way that sent heat spiraling through his whole body.

Letting go of his hair with one hand, she scraped her fingernails down his back, drawing a shiver and a gasp from him. He moved his lips to her neck and practically attacked her skin with kisses, unable to keep his tongue and teeth from exploring every inch between her ear and her throat.

“ _ Shit! _ ” She gasped. “Felix, stop- stop.”

He froze and lifted himself off of her, standing up as she got to her feet as well.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“No, don’t,” she interrupted. “I stopped you because I’m wet and covered in sand and if you kept going a minute longer, I’d…” She trailed off awkwardly then laughed at herself. She held out her hand and nodded towards the direction of the inn. “Let’s go clean off.”

“Do you- Are you sure you-?”

She stepped forward and kissed him firmly. “Yes, if you want me.”

Fuck, did he want her. He just didn’t know how to say it and it seemed surreal that she would be attracted to him the way he was to her. He reached out and put his palm over her heart.

“It’s pounding,” he pointed out, although he wasn’t sure why. 

“Still feels so strange,” she said with a breathless laugh.

The feeling of her racing heartbeat reassured him that this was real and he let his hand slip down to her waist, tugging her closer for one more rough, yearning kiss before letting of her abruptly and setting off towards the tavern with swift, urgent steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit - this story ain't deep. But it's fun fluff to write and I hope you're enjoying it!
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading! Tomorrow's chapter will be _spicy_


	3. Spicy/Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix never backs down from a challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was **spicy**....
> 
> I have never written such blatant porn before. I'm gonna go hide away from the internet for a bit and rethink my life.
> 
> (This was lots of fun to write, though. Hope you enjoy the chapter!)

Well, stranger things had certainly happened to Byleth over the past year. Her new life was unknowable and wild. And yet, she never would have seen this night coming. There had been such a wall up between her and physical and romantic desire during the old days that what should have been an obvious attraction to Felix simply never occurred to her. 

She was aware of it now, at least. Keenly aware of it. When he had sat there by the fire with her, dripping wet and half-naked, she had had to start talking again just to keep from staring at him spell-bound. And when he had kissed her… Byleth had had plenty of one-night stands over the past few years in an attempt to experience everything she had missed out on. But no man or woman had kissed her the way Felix had. 

As she walked back into the bedroom after cleaning off the sand and river water from her skin, she found Felix sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed again, staring with a faraway gaze at the floor and fidgeting nervously. His head jerked up when he heard her come in and he looked at her in amazement, his mouth opening to say something then closing awkwardly. His eyes roamed across her naked body, fully visible now in the glow of the lanterns illuminating the bedroom in a way the forest moonlight could not reveal.

“Felix, do you still want-” she began.

He sprang to his feet and stumbled over to her, grabbing her waist and pulling her to the bed where he threw her down roughly on the sheets. A look of brief consternation passed across his face and he hesitated, second-guessing his own intensity.

“It’s fine,” Byleth said quickly. “Do anything you want to me; you won’t hurt me. I’m tough.”

Felix gave her a smile that, although barely visible on his lips, lit up his eyes. “Alright then.”

He stripped off his clothes and Byleth studied his body, her gaze wandering from the sharp, elegant lines of his face and neck to the lean, deceptively strong muscle on his shoulders and arms to his skilled hands with their smooth calluses and long fingers that looked more like those of a musician than a warrior. As her gaze passed across the rest of him, her mind switched from appreciative examination to a hazy sort of hunger.

She sat up as Felix pulled off the last item of clothing and reached for him, but he jumped onto the bed and pushed her down against the pillows, kissing her so eagerly she could barely keep up with him.

“Tell me what you want,” he said as he paused for a second to catch his breath, “and I’ll do it.”

“I want you to fuck me,” she whispered, running her hands across his back and enjoying the contrast of his smooth, warm skin and the ridges of muscle from his tensed shoulders. Here and there his skin was traced with scars and Byleth mapped them out with her fingertips, earning a shiver from Felix. Even the simplest and gentlest touch seemed to have that effect on him and Byleth wondered if he was as starved for physical contact as she was and if the heat of her body next to his and the uncontrollable exploring of her hands was as comforting to him as it was to her.

“How?” he asked, his voice quiet but still sharp as always. It reminded her of when they would train all those years ago and Felix would demand instruction from her, wanting to know the specifics of her fighting style down to the most irrelevant details. He thrived on certainty and explicitness, not ambiguity.

For that reason Byleth knew it would infuriate him when she replied, “However you want.”

Sure enough, Felix let out a growl of frustration, grabbing her wrists and pinning her down to glare at her. His grip tightened around them painfully and Byleth wondered if it would leave bruises. That would be first for her: to wake up after a night of passion with marks on her body to remember it by. The thought excited her and she felt heat swelling between her legs and her skin aching at the thought of what other kinds of pain Felix could inflict on her without crossing the line between pleasure and discomfort.

She came back to the moment from her imagination when Felix said, “Just tell me what you like, damn it! I want this to be good for you.”

Byleth laughed. “Figure it out,” she said. “Make it good for me.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that a challenge?”

“Absolutely.”

He gave a short, breathy laugh and shook his head at her. “I always wondered if you’d be like this.”

The _always_ did not escape her attention but Byleth decided now was not the moment to pry into the implications of it. “Like what?” she asked.

“I wondered if you’d fuck the way you fight,” he said before leaning down to kiss her neck. The same passion was there as when he kissed her earlier by the river, but this time he surprised her by catching a bit of skin between his teeth and biting down on it startlingly hard.

Byleth gasped and wrenched her wrists free so she could grab his shoulders, clenching her hands around them and closing her eyes as he bit her again and the stab of pain it provoked raced electric and euphoric through her. He sucked on the mark, drawing the pain out even more exquisitely. Then he stopped and moved his tongue across the spot with surprising tenderness, soothing it for a moment before moving on to explore the rest of her neck until he reached her collarbones.

As he kissed across the sharp line of them appreciatively, she felt impatience rising up alongside with pleasure. Wrapping her legs around him, she lifted her hips a bit to press up against his growing erection. He gasped and bucked against her, grinding on her thighs for a moment before catching himself and stopping. 

“Stop it,” he said. “You’re distracting me.”

He moved further downwards to kiss his way across her chest until he reached her breasts. As he cupped one in his hand and brushed his thumb in slow circles across her nipple, he flicked his tongue across the other. It grew harder and he captured it in his lips and sucked, drawing a moan from Byleth.

Felix looked up at her with a satisfied smile then returned to what he was doing, nuzzling and sucking harder until it became almost too much to bear. He must have sensed her body stiffening because he pulled back and swirled his tongue gently across her overstimulated nipple. As he moved over to the other one, the night air cooled her wet skin and sent a whole new shiver of sensation pricking at her skin.

“Get on your back,” she gasped, but Felix ignored her, continuing to lavish attention on her tits.

She tried to push him off of her, wanting desperately to grab the bottle of lube on the nightstand and climb on top of Felix’s dick that was growing so temptingly hard and aching against her thighs. 

“You decide to make me in charge, you have to live with that,” he said, wrestling her back down against the pillows. “And I’m not done with you yet.”

“You- _fuck!_ Fuck…”

He interrupted her by abruptly slipping a finger into her and stroking at the spot that made her see stars. After he made sure she was slick and stretched enough, he added another finger and fucked her harder, making her moan.

Felix swore under his breath and put his free hand over her mouth. Byleth’s eyes flew open in surprise and Felix hissed, “Someone’s going to hear you!”

She tried to say that it was impossible to stay silent when he was doing that to her, but she couldn’t get the words out as he clamped his hand tighter.

“Are you going to be quiet?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Good.” He returned his attention to fucking her. Spreading her legs and scooting down to lie between them, he slowed down the rhythm of his fingering and focused on exploring her hot, slick thighs with his lips and, every so often, his teeth, leaving more marks Byleth looked forward to seeing in the morning.

“Fuck, Felix…” she groaned.

He looked up with a startled look at the sound of his name and Byleth wondered why. She made a mental note to say it again and see his reaction.

“I’m going to make you come,” he said, “hard.” He punctuated the word with a rough thrust of his fingers. “As foreplay.”

Byleth swallowed nervously and stared at him with wide eyes. Felix had told her many times that he hated her tendency for unnerving eye contact, but he certainly seemed to have outgrown it because now he didn’t look away for a second as he lowered his head and lifted her legs up to rest on his shoulders. And he stared back at her intently, almost defiantly, as he brushed his tongue across her clitoris, watching her the way she struggled to repress the urge to moan at the sensation.

Gathering a fistful of his long hair into her hand, she clutched at it tightly and held it out of the way as he buried his face deeper and stopped teasing her, kissing and sucking instead with an intensity that was nearly too much to handle. It was obvious that he intended to win the challenge she’d given him.

This time she couldn’t help the low groan that came from her throat. She was barely hanging on to any kind of self-awareness, caught up in the heart-pounding, breath-racing feeling of his lips and tongue on her clit as he continued to finger her relentlessly.

She came quicker than she ever had before, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the whimpers of pleasure as the orgasm rippled through her. Her legs seized up and she clenched them around Felix’s head as the sensation shuddered through them all the way to her toes.

He kept going through every last second of it until she had to yank his head up to stop him because the stimulation had become too much. 

“Oh goddess,” she breathed, slumping back against the pillows and letting go of Felix’s hair. “What did you do to me?”

He nuzzled her thighs and planted wet kisses across them then looked up at her and slowly licked his lips. Her breath hitched. He had no business being this seductive. Did he even mean to? He had never struck her as the seductive type. But then again, Felix _was_ the type to put his whole heart and soul into learning how to do something well once he decided to. And the way he was looking at her made her only want more, despite the fact that orgasm alone was powerful enough to exhaust her.

It was nearly three in the morning, but Byleth knew Felix had no intention of stopping any time soon and that she wouldn’t have let him even if he had tried.

“My turn,” she said. “Get up.”

“I told you, this was just foreplay. Let me-”

Byleth had enjoyed letting Felix have his time being in control but she decided now that that time was over, for now at least. Maybe later.

She lifted him off of her and sat up, leveling the stare at him that she knew brooked no argument. “I’d like to do something before I let you fuck me again. Is that alright?”

“What?” he asked, suddenly looking a little nervous.

“A trick I learned recently that I’d like to practice,” she said, moving him to lie on his stomach and climbing on top of him, kissing his neck and back and enjoying the way he shuddered underneath her.

“What is it?” he asked.

She reached down and ran her hand across his ass, then slipped one finger down to brush across the rim of his hole. “Is this something you like?”

Felix did not respond for a long moment then he whispered in a strained voice, “Yes.”

“When I’ve got you aroused, you can fuck me like you want to,” she said, kissing her way down his back and continuing to move her finger in slow, delicate circles.

“Wait, are you going to-” he began then gasped and cursed under his breath as she spread him and touched his rim with the tip of her tongue instead of her finger.

“Is this alright?” she asked.

He murmured something into the pillow and she asked, “Felix?”

“Yes,” he groaned. “Fuck… yes.”

She moved her tongue more intently and felt a thrill of satisfaction as he moaned into the pillow and his body spasmed a bit with another shudder. She didn’t mind the salty taste of the skin and she had discovered recently that she loved the way it affected a man to be pleasured like this. More than anything, she wanted to make him feel the way he had made her feel: desired, overwhelmed.

For a moment she circled his rim with her tongue passionately then she plunged it inside him slightly and reveled in the muffled, half-whimpered curses it earned her. Another couple minutes of this and Felix was gasping for breath.

He reached around to grab her hair and tugged at her head. “I can’t- I need-” He gathered his scattered thoughts and said, “I want to be inside you. Stop teasing me.”

Byleth considered trying to drive him a little more wild, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted him as much as he did her and that it was getting more and more difficult to ignore the desire causing her body to ache.

Releasing Felix, she grabbed a half-drunk mug of ale off the nightstand and took a long swig. Then she wiped her mouth, handed him the lube and said, “Fuck me.”

“Goddess… finally,” Felix growled and took the lube. He considered the situation for a moment then grabbed her hips and moved her onto her hands and knees. Byleth closed her eyes, her legs trembling, and waited breathlessly for him.

As he eased his dick into her, she yelped at the way it stretched her further than his fingers had and seemed to fill every inch of her. Felix grunted and clutched at her hips harder.

“You feel so good,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss the back of her neck. “Tell me if I go too hard and it hurts, alright?”

“You can’t,” she said, twisting around to kiss him. “Give me everything.”

He nipped at her neck and replied, “You’re going to be the death of me if you keep saying ridiculous shit like that.”

“You’ve said far more ridiculous things tonight already.”

Felix pulled out and thrust back in sharply at her mocking comment and Byleth clenched her teeth to keep from crying out.

“Harder,” she said defiantly.

He obeyed and the burst of pain alongside the intensity of pleasure stunned Byleth. Adjusting to find a slightly different angle, Felix began to roll his hips until he found the rhythm they both wanted and settled into it eagerly.

“I want you to say one more ridiculous thing,” he said after a few minutes, slowing down to pull nearly all the way out then snap back in sharply. “I want you to say my name again… while you come.”

Byleth couldn’t see his face but she could tell from his tone how embarrassed the request made him.

“I just…” He pulled out suddenly, making her gasp, then flipped her onto her back and lifted her ankles to rest on his shoulders. “I never hear anyone say it anymore. I kind of… miss it.”

Byleth took his dick in her hand and guided it back into her. “Then make me come.”

His face was flushed and he was avoiding her gaze, but his self-consciousness slipped away as he began to fuck her again. Although Byleth was personally very fond of the other position, she was glad they had changed because now she could watch the emotions flashing across Felix’s expression and the sight was mesmerizing and beautiful. His eyes were closed tight and his mouth was open with panting breaths as he bucked into her so strongly her head knocked back against the headboard.

His eyes shot open and he swore. “Did I-”

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.

The slap of his skin against hers and the pressure of his hips slamming into hers, faster and faster, pushed her towards the peak of pleasure and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to hang on much longer.

“Felix,” she moaned quietly. “Oh goddess…”

He rewarded the sound by lifting her hips up a little further so he could go even deeper and drive her even more wild.

“Fuck! Felix…”

He didn’t reprimand her to stay quiet this time. Instead he let out a moan himself and gasped, “Louder.”

"Felix! God- _Agh!_ Fuck!” she whined, at this point far too gone to even be saying it for his benefit. She was right on the edge and she abandoned all dignity to beg loudly. “Felix, I'm coming. _Ohh_ , keep going, keep going… Shit!"

"Louder!"

"Felix!"

He obviously did not give a damn anymore about being discreet because as she clenched around him with her orgasm, he let out a groan, followed by a sharp cry as he finished along with her. She felt the heat of his come filling her and closed her eyes, enjoying the way his movements, so overwhelming a moment ago, now slowed and gentled until the wave of the orgasm finished coursing through her.

Lingering inside her, he released her ankles so her legs could fall down to the bed, then he leaned down and kissed her – a long, slow kiss that shocked her with its tenderness. When he finally broke off and pulled out, collapsing down onto the sheets next to her, Byleth was still shaken by the feeling that kiss evoked in her, somehow more stunning than even the sex.

She wanted to ask him why he had kissed her like that but as she rolled onto her side to look at him, she couldn’t bear to disturb him. He was lying back against the pillows with his arms crossed under his head and a soft smile on his face that she had never seen before. He looked more than just physically satisfied. He looked… happy, genuinely so. 

A keen ache flared up in her chest as two thoughts occurred to her simultaneously.

She was happy too, more so than she could remember being in years.

And second, it was nearly dawn and she guessed that as soon as morning came and broke whatever spell had captured Felix tonight, he would return to his loner ways and disappear down the road.

Would it be another four years before she saw him again?

Felix finally opened his eyes and turned to face her, searching her expression with an analytical frown. “Was that good for you or were you just humoring me?” he asked.

“What?” she said in surprise. “Felix, that was…” She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips, despite the seriousness of the moment. “I can never come back to this inn again. Not after practically screaming your name like that. We can never show our faces here again.”

“I wasn’t intending to anyway,” Felix said. “The ale here is shit.”

“You take that back.”

“No.”

“Fine,” she gave in. “But next time we need somewhere more private.”

She said the words intentionally for although she kept her tone lighthearted and casual, she was watching Felix carefully to see what his reaction would be. Would he tense up at the words and the implication that she did not want just a one-night stand anymore? Or would he-

“Yeah,” he replied. “We do. You’re loud.”

Joy filled Byleth’s heart, the kind of feeling she had been chasing this whole time, but stronger than she could have imagined. “Funny. I seem to remember you begging me to be louder.”

“You have an overactive imagination then,” he replied dryly. “I would never say something stupid like that.”

“Hm. Too bad. It was sexy.”

He smiled at her slightly and she smiled back, reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand. He didn’t shy away from the affectionate touch and instead leaned into it.

“Byleth, I-” he started, then cut himself off with a frown.

“Tell me,” she said softly.

“I think I just ruined our sparring match soon. You’re going to be too sore to move.”

“You underestimate me.”

“You can’t be serious. Dawn’s in an hour.”

“And I’m nice and warmed up now.”

Felix muttered a curse and rolled over to face away from her. “You’re crazy.”

“So I’m told.”


	4. Sparring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just keep postponing Felix & Byleth's promised sparring match, so they settle for an unconventional way of competing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but tomorrow's last chapter will be a bit longer and will tie things up :)  
> Felileth Week has been really fun so far and I've loved reading a lot of the awesome fics being written and seeing all the amazing art! Thank you to everyone participating - your creations are inspiring and delightful!

Felix drifted around the edge of unconsciousness, never quite falling asleep, just resting in a warm haze of satisfaction and comfort. He held Byleth in his arms with her back pressed against his chest, and as the first hints of light seeped in through the window, Felix nestled his face between Byleth’s shoulder blades to hide from it, groaning quietly at the headache pounding behind his eyes. He might only be twenty-seven, but he was already starting to notice how all-nighters had grown far harder than they were a few years ago.

He knew coffee would take away the headache and a bit of breakfast would help the shaky feeling in his body, but the thought of venturing downstairs and facing the tavern owners made his face flush with embarrassment. 

He wouldn’t have given a damn if he was just a stranger fucking another stranger. But these people were Byleth’s friends apparently. And he was the weird loner who pulled a knife on one of them at the start of the night and woke everyone up by making Byleth cry out his name repeatedly at the end of the night. Not a great impression. Felix could never return to this town.

A low, slightly miserable _mmmm_ noise moaned into the pillow made Felix realize that Byleth was waking up and he let go of her.

“Shit,” she mumbled. “I fell asleep.”

She raised her head from the pillow, rubbing her eyes and rolled over to face Felix. One eye still squinted shut, she gave him a lopsided smile and said, “Ready to spar?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he muttered, reaching out to pull her back into his arms. As she nuzzled into his chest and planted soft kisses across his skin, he said, “Sparring can wait a couple hours. We didn’t sign a blood pact that said it had to be at dawn. Relax.”

“Did you sleep?” she asked.

“Not really. You were only out for an hour anyways.”

Byleth yawned and said, “I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

“Will you go get us some breakfast? I have some coffee in my bag I can make, but I don’t have any food left.”

Felix hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. Byleth laughed quietly and he tensed. “What?”

“You’re too embarrassed, aren’t you?” she said.

“I’m not embarrassed,” he lied. “We’re two consenting adults. Who gives a shit what we were up to tonight? I just…” He sighed in frustration, telling himself to not be a coward, and got out of bed to get dressed. “What do you want?”

“Anything. I’m not picky.”

As Felix tugged on his clothes, Byleth stretched leisurely, letting out a long, indulgent sigh as her stiff muscles relaxed. Felix froze, one leg in his pants and the other out, and gave her a stunned stare. She caught him and smiled wickedly, kicking aside the rest of the sheets and stretching her naked body out again.

His stomach growled and the headache flared up harder but Felix was only paying attention to one of his body’s desires and before he knew it, he was hastily ripping the half-on pants off and throwing them to the side, pouncing back on the bed.

Byleth laughed and caught him in her arms, kissing him enthusiastically.

“Damn you,” Felix whispered against her lips as he paused for a second, his breath already racing with arousal. “I’m hungry.”

Byleth reached down to stroke her fingers across his hardening dick and gave him that mischievous smile again that he was growing fond of very quickly. “I can tell,” she said.

“That’s not what I meant. But still, do you-”

“Yes,” she said. “Oh goddess, yes.”

“You’re insatiable,” he muttered, already slipping his fingers into her.

“And sore,” she added.

“Should we-”

“Fuck me, Felix. Hard. I don’t want to be able to walk for an hour.”

“You just want an excuse to not go downstairs to get breakfast,” he said, fingering her harder. 

She bucked her hips down against his fingers impatiently. “Yes, and I intend to scream your name again so it is even more awkward for you to show your face down there.”

“Don’t you dare.”

To his great relief, Byleth did not make good on her threat, although in part because Felix made sure either his cock or his fingers were in her mouth the whole time to muffle her. And when they collapsed back onto the sheets several orgasms later, Felix had never felt so satisfied before in his life.

He wondered what it was about Byleth that made this so different from any sex he had had before. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been with good lovers and it wasn’t that Byleth was exceptionally talented. So what made it like this? He normally was satisfied after an orgasm or two in a one-night stand. Why did he want to keep coming back for more? Why did he hope that she was serious when she implied that she wanted to continue this – whatever _this_ was?

“So,” Byleth said, a little breathless still. “Breakfast?”

Before Felix could reply a pounding knock on the door made them both jump. 

“Bylie! Bylie, wake up!” the man from last night shouted. “Could really use your help!”

“Just a minute!” Byleth called back, lurching out of bed and grabbing the clothes scattered across the floor. “What’s going on, Theo?”

“Did Auntie Lin tell you about the bandits hereabouts?” Theo said.

Muttering a curse, Felix searched around for his clothes, but he couldn’t find his shirt to save his life. “Byleth,” he hissed to catch her attention, pointing at his chest with a questioning look. 

She pointed under the bed and he dived down to search beneath it, finding his favorite shirt surrounded by dust bunnies. It must have gotten kicked under there at one point during their raucous night. “Shit,” he swore.

“Bandits up in the mountains! Yes,” Byleth said. “What about them?”

“They’re in the village!” Theo said. “Saints, Bylie! Are you fucking dressed yet?”

Finally, both of them pulled on the last of their clothes, although Byleth seemed to be missing her coat and Felix had opted to tug on his vest over his bare torso instead of wearing the musty shirt.

Byleth quirked an eyebrow at him and whispered, “Sexy.”

“Shut up!” Felix whispered as he grabbed his sword then yanked the door open.

If this Theo man had any thoughts on him being in the same room as a very disheveled and flushed Byleth he thankfully kept them to himself. “You know how to use that thing, Hugo?” he asked, gesturing at the sword.

After hearing Byleth use his real name all night, hearing _Hugo_ again felt like a slap in the face. He recovered from the disorientation after a second and said, “Better than anyone other than her,” he replied. “What’s the deal with these bandits?”

Byleth appeared at Felix’s side and the two of them followed Theo down to the main room of the tavern while Theo explained, “Their numbers must have grown because they’ve escalated from harassing merchant caravans to raiding the village.”

“How many?” Byleth said, all traces of the lighthearted woman Felix had seen last night gone. She was mercenary Byleth again, the calm, urgent, fearless leader he had followed to the gates of hell. It was a relief to him to know that side of her still existed.

“About forty,” Theo answered. “We only have maybe twenty solid fighters here. Most of the townspeople went to the city for the Heather Festival this weekend. You fought wars, Bylie. Do you think you can help us organize some defenses so we can hold out until help arrives?”

“Your help has arrived,” Felix said. “Take us to wherever the main force of them is. We’ll thin their ranks enough they are forced to flee.”

“Did you miss the part where I said there are forty of them?” Theo said.

“Call for the townsfolk to gather in the square and have your twenty fighters form a perimeter around them to protect them. Felix and I will take out the bandit leader and take care of this,” Byleth replied.

Theo looked at the two of them like they were speaking in a foreign language. “Forty,” he said in confusion. “I feel like you are not understanding the meaning of this number. There are forty of them.”

“Hurry!” Byleth said and Theo swore, leaving the tavern and setting off towards the western side of town. 

“You wanted to spar,” Byleth told Felix as they ran after him. “This is our chance.”

“What? We’re a little busy here,” he replied.

“Different rules, but still a way to see who is more skilled. Count how many bandits you incapacitate and I’ll do the same. Whoever takes down more wins the match,” she proposed. “But aim for non-lethal strikes. They’re just thieves.”

“You’re on,” Felix agreed. “But no spells, the same as if we were sparring with swords. The range will give you an unfair advantage.”

As they neared the other side of the town, they caught wind of smoke rising from several rooftops and the clamor of a fight.

“Where are Linette and Harland?” Byleth asked Theo.

“I told them to take shelter in the cellar at the Hellhound along with my wife and kids.”

“Good. Go guard them. We got this.”

“Are you sure about-”

Byleth punched Theo lightly in the arm. “I promise you. We will protect the town. You protect your family.”

He nodded and took off back towards the tavern.

Taking a deep breath and shaking her head to clear the weariness from it, Byleth said, “Alright. Let’s go.”

After a sleepless night and the pounding he gave her, Felix was concerned about Byleth being in prime fighting condition. But he knew better than to ask. He trusted her instincts, just as he had on the battlefield more times than he could count. If she thought she could handle this fight, then she could. That was that.

She drew the toothed dagger he had given her years ago and gripped it in one hand, wielding a long knife in the other. It struck Felix as strange to see her without the Sword of the Creator but it seemed that she had adapted to a new fighting style. He made a note to ask her about fighting with two short blades instead of the two-handed silver longsword that he was used to. The form intrigued him. It seemed suited to an assassin more than a warrior.

Byleth jumped up and grabbed onto the edge of a low-roofed shed, scrambling up on top of it. Felix followed her and from their vantage point, they surveyed the chaos of the attacking bandits.

“There,” Byleth said, pointing towards a horseman on the edge of the fight. “That’s their leader.”

“Better horse than everyone else,” Felix guessed and she nodded.

“Let’s go. Don’t lose count!”

“Oh I won’t,” he promised.

“After this,” Byleth said, swinging down from the rooftop and landing gracefully on her feet, “we have that cup of coffee.”

“Maybe if we’re town heroes they’ll forgive us for last night,” Felix said.

“It’ll just add flavor to the stories they tell about us after we leave.”

“Great.”


	5. Loyalty

“Withdraw your men,” Felix growled, holding his sword to the bandit leader’s throat. “If you set foot back here, we will strike to kill, not incapacitate. Do you understand?”

The man was quaking in his boots, having just witnessed Byleth and Felix plow through his men. He nodded and choked out, “Let me go.”

“Give the order,” Felix said, hauling him up to his feet, keeping the blade to this neck.

“Fall back! Get out of here!” the man cried and what bandits were left on their feet grabbed their wounded comrades and fled.

“Let me go,” the leader said again.

Felix barked a laugh and knocked the man out with a swift blow to the head with the hilt of his sword. As he sagged to the ground, Byleth ran over and helped him carry the man towards the sheriff’s office.

She was bloodied in several places, although Felix was not convinced it was her blood. And her steps were shaky with exhaustion, but there was a grim look of satisfaction on her face, mixed with relief and she didn’t falter as they walked.

“It’s good we were here,” she said somberly. “If something had happened to Linette and Harland and Theo… I don’t want to let down Jeralt. These people were family to him.”

Felix didn’t want to undercut the seriousness of the moment by asking about the results of their sparring match so he kept his mouth shut and focused on hauling the bandit leader. When they dropped him in front of the sheriff’s office and informed the townspeople that the threat was gone, they were met with cheers and thanks, but Byleth did not seem affected by them at all. She just nodded to people, her grim look not wavering. The only thing she did do was ask for some breakfast.

They met Theo at the Hellhound and he and his family cooked a veritable feast for them all, thanking Byleth and reminiscing repeatedly about similar exploits Jeralt had done. Felix expected the mention of him to be painful but instead it seemed to make Byleth happy to have people to talk to him about.

When she caught Felix watching her at one point, she said, “I loved Jeralt to the extent that I was capable of loving anyone. But I didn’t appreciate him enough while he was alive. I’m trying to honor his memory as much as I can now.”

Felix nodded. Doing anything for the dead was pointless and stupid, but Byleth wasn’t doing it out of guilt so much as love. He could respect that.

“So Hugo, who won your daft sparring match?” Theo asked, sitting down next to Felix and plunking a fresh cup of coffee in front of him with a grin. Felix frowned at him for a moment, realizing in horror that this man seemed to think they were friends now.

“That’s an excellent question,” Felix replied and glanced at Byleth. “Thirteen.”

Her lips parted in surprise then she laughed. “Thirteen.”

Felix growled a quiet curse and said, “We’re settling this.”

“I can’t even stand right now!” Byleth protested.

“Arm wrestle,” Theo suggested and Felix shot him a disgusted look.

“Come on, Hugo, if you don’t manage to impress Bylie you’ll never win her away from this Felix fellow,” Harland said with a pointed smirk and Felix wished for death.

“Hmph. We’ll spar for real later,” Felix told Byleth and got up, walking over to the dog who was lying on her bed in the corner of the room. Sitting down next to her, he ruffled her ears and smiled as she panted happily. Animals really were a great excuse to get out of awkward conversations.

The big, absurdly fluffy sheepdog jumped up and tried to sit in Felix’s lap, but she didn’t fit and kept sliding off, only to reposition again and twist her neck around to pant in his face and try to lick his cheek.

“That can’t be comfortable,” Felix told her.

She didn’t seem to care.

When the commotion surrounding breakfast finally died down and Byleth retired to her room, Felix bid goodbye to the dog and followed her, ignoring the looks everyone shot him.

“This is a good look,” Byleth said, tugging open his vest and running her fingers across his bare chest. 

“Is that why you threw my shirt under the bed?” he grumbled.

“I did no such thing!”

“Hmph.”

He scrubbed the blood and dirt off his skin quickly with a towel in the basin of water on the side table. Then he slumped into bed and exhaled a deep sigh. Byleth cuddled up next to him and in moments they were both asleep, the many different adventures of the night and dawn catching up to them.

Byleth awoke to the sound of Felix softly snoring and she smiled, rolling over to face him. He was an absolute mess, his tangled hair spilling across his shoulders and back, fresh bruises darkening on his sweaty skin, and a bit of drool coming from his mouth. But he looked peaceful. And this – waking up to him, warm from his body heat next to her, feeling safe from the assuredness of his presence – this felt natural in the most baffling and beautiful way. 

Slipping carefully out of bed so as not to wake him, Byleth packed up her things and fetched another snack from the kitchen, bringing it back to her room. She sat on the edge of the bed and ate it, drinking yet another cup of coffee as well. Then she pulled a small sketchbook from her pack and a pencil and started to draw Felix.

It was a skill she had worked hard on over the past year, for she wanted desperately for her hands to be good for something other than holding a blade. Although she was nowhere near as good as she would like yet, she did have a knack for faces and by the time she finished her sketch of Felix, she was fairly satisfied with it.

It wasn’t just that he looked beautiful right now, despite the mess. It was that the sight of him brought her a joy so deep it ached painfully in her chest. If they went their separate ways after he woke up, she wanted something to help her remember this perfect time with him.

As she was tucking the sketchbook back in her bag, Felix woke up, sitting up and rubbing his head with a yawn.

“G’morning,” he mumbled.

“It’s three in the afternoon.”

“Fuck.”

“You have somewhere to be?”

“Yeah. On the road. I can’t stand another minute of these people making fun of me.”

Byleth nodded. “Where will you go?”

“I was heading south when I stopped here. I heard of some demonic beast sightings in Magdred,” he said.

Byleth didn’t reply. The question she wanted to ask was frozen on her tongue for some reason and she couldn’t make herself ask it. But it burned in her mind. _‘Can I come with you?’ ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ ‘Will you-’_

“Will you come with me?” Felix said and Byleth’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yes,” she answered a split-second after he asked the question.

He smiled. “Good. You owe me a fight.”

“Is that the only reason why?”

Felix shifted awkwardly and looked away, staring down at the floor. “What’s your reason?”

“I want to be with you,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Why?” he asked and there was a strange, hollow tone in his voice that Byleth didn’t understand. 

“Because I enjoy being around you, and since our paths in life are similar, I’d like to walk them together, for as long as you’ll let me,” she replied, watching his reaction.

Felix nodded stiffly. “I’d like that too.”

Was it just his typical awkwardness when talking about anything emotional? Or was there something else?

“Let’s get going then,” Byleth said. “I’ll pay our tab and meet you in the stable.”

“I paid in advance,” Felix said. “Don’t worry about mine.”

“Okay.”

Byleth left him, feeling a bit unsettled despite her relief at Felix wanting her to come with him. After she attempted to pay her tab and was enthusiastically rebuffed by Linette and Harland, who also insisted upon stuffing her saddlebags full of food and drink, she bid them a fond goodbye and met Felix in the stable, where he already had their horses saddled.

They set out together on the southern road and for a time they rode in silence as Felix still seemed to be a bit groggy and kept yawning. When they stopped around seven to let their horses rest and eat, Felix lay down on the grass and stretched his sore limbs. Byleth settled down next to him and he reached out and took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“Thanks,” he said in a strained, stilted tone.

“For what?”

“Coming with me.”

“It’s what I wanted; I was just worried you wouldn’t. No matter how lonely it is to be on your own, it’s still hard to embrace a change,” she said. 

Felix fell silent again then abruptly he turned onto his side to face her and Byleth was taken aback by the fierce look in his eyes. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“That I’d like you?” she said.

“That you’re not angry with me. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I figured at this point I might as well face it instead of waiting,” he replied.

“Why would I be angry with you?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“I left.”

“So did I.”

“You were fighting a war apparently. I was just…” He trailed off with a sigh of frustration.

Byleth brushed the hair out of his eyes gently and tucked it behind his ear. Her hand moved to his shoulder and lingered there, and although he stiffened under her touch initially, he relaxed after a moment.

“Why did you leave everything behind to become a mercenary?” she asked. 

“It’s hard to put it into words.”

“Give it a try. I’ll do my best to understand.”

Felix frowned, then said hesitantly, “I don’t… I swore loyalty to you and the Eagles because I wanted to tear down the world I grew up in. It hurt everyone I ever loved so much I would have done anything to dismantle it. But it turns out I don’t know how to live in a different world. When Edelgard asked me to oversee the management of the Faerghus territories, I… I just… couldn’t. Wouldn’t.”

“I’m not made for court and politics either,” Byleth said. “I’d rather leave it to people who are. I think you made the right choice, and I think I did too. The only shame is that you left behind the people who care about you.”

“I didn’t. I visit Sylvain every few months and I even went to Brigid to visit Ashe and Petra. I just asked them to keep it quiet. I didn’t want word getting out that I was still around. I was worried someone would come drag me back to Enbarr or Fhirdiad.” His eyes returned to hers and he asked, “When’s the last time you saw them?”

Byleth wilted. “It’s been years. During the shadow war, I couldn’t… It was too risky to involve them. But I at least had Edelgard and Ferdinand and Hubert. They became like family to me. I visited Ferdinand and Hubert in Aegir a couple months ago.”

“I guess even loners like you and me can’t live entirely on our own,” Felix said. 

“I don’t want to. I want my freedom no matter the price, but I did long to see everyone, especially you,” she admitted.

“Me?”

“We were friends, weren’t we?”

“I thought we were just training partners.”

“That’s the only friendship I knew how to handle. But I looked forward to those hours we’d spend together. You were comforting to be around and even in my numb state back then, I still cared about you. You were always the person I would look for first after a battle.”

“Were you attracted to me back then?” Felix asked, then immediately looked embarrassed at his vain question. “Nevermind. You don’t have to answer that.”

“I wasn’t attracted to anyone.”

“That was Sylvain’s theory.”

“Did no other answer make sense to him for why I rejected his charms?”

He laughed. “Probably.”

“Felix…” Byleth said tentatively. “Are you worried that I’ll get bored of you?”

The question might have been a bit out of the blue, but Byleth knew she hit the nail on the head when a startled look flashed across his face briefly before he masked it behind a carefully neutral expression. 

“Maybe I’ll get bored of you,” he said.

“Oh I doubt that,” she replied with a sly smile. Slipping her hand behind his neck, she tugged him closer and kissed him deeply. He was unresponsive at first, still bristling defensively, then he gave in and wrapped his arms around her as she moved on top of him. She kissed him until he was breathless and clutching at her tightly. Then she pulled back, delighting in the desire in his eyes and flushed lips.

“I’m not going to get tired of you. And I can’t think of anyone I’d like to share my adventures with more. If you have my back, I will have yours,” she said. “And as long as you kiss me like that and fight beside me like you did today, I will stay and I will give you the same trust and loyalty you gave me years ago.”

Felix stared up at her with a vulnerable, searching look. Then he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her, his lips warm and insistent and his tongue moving in her mouth with a passion that she could barely handle. His grip on her jaw grew painfully hard and when he pulled back for a moment, there was a burning intensity to his expression that took Byleth’s breath away.

“Stay then,” he said. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming along for the ride with me, fellow Felileth Weekers! It's been fun! Hope you liked this fluffy little fic.


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